A report on the award of public relations contracts by the Minister for Transport, Mr Cullen, is unlikely to contain a "smoking gun" that implicates him in wrongdoing, informed sources said yesterday.
The report by the former Revenue chairman, Mr Dermot Quigley, on the contracts won by Ms Monica Leech, was given to the Taoiseach on Monday.
Mr Ahern will respond in the Dáil today to opposition questions about the report, although Government sources indicated last night that the document was unlikely to be published until later this week.
Ms Leech is one of Mr Cullen's closest political associates. The Minister had direct political responsibility for the Department of the Environment and the Office of Public Works when she won contracts with those two bodies.
With the report already in circulation among those named by Mr Quigley, there is increasing expectation in Leinster House that Mr Cullen will survive in his Cabinet position. Informed sources said they had heard the report described as thorough, factual and fair. "There's no smoking gun. It certainly hasn't thrown up any shock or surprise," one said.
While the sources said they believed Mr Quigley had made recommendations for future contracts in the report, they believed nothing had emerged to suggest that rules were broken in the award of contracts to Ms Leech.
In addition, they believe that nothing had emerged to suggest that officials had written warnings about the contracts in OPW and Department files.
Mr Cullen's official spokesman insisted last night that he had not seen the report and refused to say whether it was favourable to the Minister.
"There's a lot of rumour and gossip. It continues to be rumour and gossip until the report is published. We're awaiting publication like everyone else," he said.
Asked whether he believed the Minister's position was in the balance or whether it was now secure, he said: "We've taken a deliberate policy not to comment on the inquiry when its work is ongoing. That's something we intend to honour."
It is understood that the report is not on the agenda for this morning's Cabinet meeting, although it is likely to be raised.
Mr Cullen has always defended the contracts won by Ms Leech, who is based in Waterford. At one point in the controversy surrounding the contracts, he said on RTÉ Radio that he had never had a personal relationship with Ms Leech.
When Mr Cullen was appointed to the Cabinet in mid-2002 as minister for the environment, Ms Leech was engaged to provide PR advice to that Department at a rate of €800 a day on a three-day week.
